# Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy

Home to Pottsville, Tamaqua and Wayne Township

Local rules on data centers are on the record in Schuylkill County. Schuylkill County is home to Pottsville, Tamaqua, Wayne Township and Schuylkill Haven. 1 project is on the Delay Watchlist, including Amazon Web Services Kline Township data center campus. Construction employs 1,763, up 23.9% since 2019. 96 MW has retired here since 2019, including Wheelabrator Frackville Energy (coal, 48 MW, 2020). 5 MW of that came online in 2019 or later, mostly petroleum.

96 MW
of generating capacity retired since 2019

363 MW
of operating power plants, mostly coal

+1.1%
total jobs since 2019, now 50,502

## Cities and towns in Schuylkill County

Schuylkill County is home to Pottsville, Tamaqua, Wayne Township and Schuylkill Haven.

Pottsville13,170 residents
Tamaqua6,929 residents
Wayne Township5,385 residents
Schuylkill Haven5,253 residents
Butler Township5,105 residents
West Penn Township4,616 residents
Minersville4,423 residents
North Manheim Township4,234 residents
Shenandoah4,122 residents
Pine Grove Township4,109 residents
Frackville3,893 residents
Mahanoy City3,539 residents
Rush Township3,516 residents
West Brunswick Township3,501 residents
Hegins Township3,368 residents
Washington Township3,175 residents
Mahanoy Township3,022 residents
Orwigsburg3,003 residents
West Mahanoy Township2,909 residents
South Manheim Township2,820 residents
St. Clair2,755 residents
Ryan Township2,550 residents
Ashland2,520 residents
McAdoo2,474 residents

And 16 smaller places.

Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Altamont, Beurys Lake, Branchdale, Brandonville, Buck Run, Cumbola, Delano, Donaldson, Englewood, Forestville, Fountain Springs, Friedensburg, Grier City, Heckscherville, Hegins, Hometown, Kelayres, Klingerstown, Lake Wynonah, Lavelle, Locustdale, Marlin, McKeansburg, Morea, Muir, New Boston, Newtown, Nuremberg, Oneida, Orwin, Park Crest, Ravine, Reinerton, Renningers, Seltzer, Shenandoah Heights, Sheppton, Summit Station, Tuscarora, Valley View.

Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.

## What changed in Schuylkill County

| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 142,944 | 145,085 | ▲ 1.5% | 25th of 67 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 49,964 | 50,502 | ▲ 1.1% | 21st of 67 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $43,648 | $55,858 | ▲ 28.0% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,423 | 1,763 | ▲ 23.9% | 7th of 62 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 225 | 216 | ▼ 4.0% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 5.3% | 5.0% | ▼ 0.3pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 5 MW |  | — |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 96 MW |  | — |

Its power plants have 363 MW of capacity, 62% of it coal. Electrical contractors employ 105, at an average $79,683 a year. PPL Electric Utilities Corp is the largest utility serving Schuylkill County, one of 3 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 16.99¢/kWh in 2024, above the 16.30¢ median for Pennsylvania utilities. Employers here counted 50,502 jobs in 2025, up 1.1% from 2019. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, against 5.3% in 2019. 145,085 people live here, up 1.5% since 2020.

## Who powers Schuylkill County

### Utilities with service territory in Schuylkill County

| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPL Electric Utilities Corp | Investor Owned | Bundled | 1,295,883 | 16.99¢ | 19% |
| Borough of Schuylkill Haven - (PA) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Borough of St Clair - (PA) | — | — | — | — | — |

Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.

### Operating power plants 

| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Coal | 224 MW | 62% |
| Wind | 128 MW | 35% |
| Petroleum | 5 MW | 1% |
| Other technologies | 5 MW | 1% |
| Solar | 1 MW | 0% |

| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locust Ridge II LLC | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 102 MW | 2009 |
| St Nicholas Cogen Project | Schuylkill Energy Resource Inc | Coal | 99 MW | 1990 |
| John B Rich Memorial Power Station | Gilberton Power Co | Coal | 88 MW | 1988 |
| Westwood Generation LLC | Rausch Creek Generation, LLC | Coal | 36 MW | 1987 |
| Locust Ridge | Avangrid Power LLC | Wind | 26 MW | 2007 |
| Schuylkill Haven PA BTM | American Mun Power-Ohio, Inc | Petroleum | 5 MW | 2023 |

### Retired since 2019

| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelabrator Frackville Energy | Coal | 48 MW | 2020 |
| TalenEnergy Martins Creek LLC Fishbach | Petroleum | 37 MW | 2022 |
| Broad Mountain | Other technologies | 11 MW | 2023 |

## The Schuylkill County labor market

| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 50,502 | $55,858 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,763 | $73,932 | 0.66 |
| Electrical contractors | 105 | $79,683 | 0.29 |
| Electric utilities | 216 | $117,378 | 1.58 |

Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.

## Data centers and local rules in Schuylkill County

### Delay Watchlist 

| Project | Status | Cause | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services Kline Township data center campus | approved amid opposition |  | — |

## Schuylkill County and its neighbors

Of the 8 counties that border Schuylkill County, Luzerne County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.

[[[[[[[[

| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schuylkill County | 145,085 | ▲ 1.1% | 363 MW | — | — | — |
| Berks County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/berks-county) | 440,072 | ▼ 0.6% | 1,326 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Carbon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/carbon-county) | 65,868 | ▲ 1.3% | 120 MW | 60 MW | — | — |
| Columbia County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/columbia-county) | 66,193 | ▼ 3.5% | — | 15 MW | — | — |
| Dauphin County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/dauphin-county) | 293,351 | ▲ 2.0% | 1,018 MW | 2 MW | 2 | — |
| Lebanon County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/lebanon-county) | 146,380 | ▲ 4.1% | 784 MW | — | — | — |
| Lehigh County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/lehigh-county) | 384,383 | ▲ 4.3% | 8 MW | — | 3 | — |
| Luzerne County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/luzerne-county) | 332,126 | ▼ 0.4% | 4,044 MW | 21 MW | 5 | 1 |
| Northumberland County](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/northumberland-county) | 89,920 | ▼ 2.5% | 132 MW | 35 MW | — | — |

## More of Pennsylvania

[All Pennsylvania countiesThe state power page and county mapOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania)[Berks County440,072 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/berks-county)[Lehigh County384,383 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/lehigh-county)[Luzerne County332,126 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/luzerne-county)[Dauphin County293,351 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/dauphin-county)[Lebanon County146,380 peopleOpen →](https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/lebanon-county)

## Schuylkill County, answered from the record

### Who provides electricity in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania?

3 utilities have service territory in Schuylkill County in the EIA-861 2024 report: PPL Electric Utilities Corp, Borough of Schuylkill Haven - (PA), Borough of St Clair - (PA). The largest, PPL Electric Utilities Corp, charged residential customers 16.99¢/kWh on average in 2024.

### What county is Pottsville, PA in?

Pottsville is in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. About 13,170 people live there (2025 Census estimate).

### What power plants are in Schuylkill County?

8 operating plants with 363 MW of capacity. The largest is Locust Ridge II LLC (102 MW, wind).

### Are there data centers in Schuylkill County?

The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Schuylkill County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Luzerne County.

### Is Schuylkill County adding jobs?

Employers counted 50,502 jobs in 2025 against 49,964 in 2019 (+1.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,423 to 1,763.

### Does Schuylkill County have a data center moratorium?

No county-level measure is on record for Schuylkill County. Pennsylvania has 36 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.

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Canonical: https://savrn.com/power-supply-chain-map/pennsylvania/schuylkill-county
Updated: 2026-10-08. Refreshed weekly by SAVRN from EIA, BLS, BEA, Census and the SAVRN trackers. License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).